The present invention pertains to lawn and garden landscaping and fertilizing materials, and more specifically pertains to environmentally sound nutrient and moisture retentive ground covers and soil supplements.
Ground covers have been used in the lawn and garden industry for many years in order to provide an aesthetic appearance around plants and hedges. The same ground covers, depending upon what they are made of, serve not only an aesthetic function, but also serve to retain vitally needed nutrients in the soil surrounding the perimeter of the plant or shrub. Wood chips, bark chips, cypress shavings, peat moss, and pebbles serve as examples. Some peat or chips have ingredients which are leachable therefrom over time. This may present a problem when such ingredients in concentrated amounts can alter the chemistry of the soil and render it inadequate for plants or shrubs and result in retarded growth or death. This is unacceptable, especially for lavish and expensive landscaping displays which have become very popular in recent years.
Furthermore, current ground covers generally require the use of a border to contain them. When they exceed their border, chips and pebbles become unsightly and dangerous projectiles that can be thrown by a lawnmower. Another problem with chips and peat moss is that because of their consistency, they must be bagged and/or handled or shoveled several times before reaching their final destination. Still another problem is the man hours of rigorous work necessary to evenly distribute chips or peat. Regardless of the care taken with existing ground covers it is common to "have an uneven consistency and "thin spots" in the overall covering. If this is not initially the case, time dictates that it will be so following, for example, the first torrential rain fall. Weeds also become a problem and sunlight is able to penetrate the covering.
Finally, yard waste is generally no longer accepted at waste dumps and mulching lawn mowers and composting are being encouraged. Not all yard waste can be mulched and composted, thereby adding to the long felt desire to recycle yard waste economically.
It is therefore highly desirable to provide an improved ground cover.
It is also highly desirable to provide an improved ground cover that contains vitally needed nutrients and is both nutrient and moisture retentive and environmentally sound.
It is also highly desirable to provide an improved ground cover and soil supplement that does not require the use of borders in order to remain in place.
It is also highly desirable to provide an improved ground cover and soil supplement that can be shipped easily and conveniently handled.
It is also highly desirable to provide an improved ground cover and soil supplement that can be conveniently and easily installed in a manner insuring and maintaining an even consistency throughout the life of the cover, and does not move once in place.
It is also highly desirable to provide an improved ground cover and soil supplement that prevents weeds from growing beneath the ground covering and becoming visible.
It is also highly desirable to provide an improved ground cover and soil supplement that is environmentally sound and is inexpensive to manufacture and transport.
It is also highly desirable to provide an improved ground cover and soil supplement that can be made of yard waste.
It is finally highly desirable to provide an improved ground cover and soil supplement which meets all of the above desired features.